Mariners acquire Morse in three-team deal

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchange•January 17, 2013

The Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's were involved in a three-team trade that sent outfielder Michael Morse to the Mariners and brought pitching prospect A.J. Cole to the Nationals, the Mariners confirmed Wednesday. The Mariners also sent catcher John Jaso to the A's, and the Washington Post reported the Nationals also received 24-year-old minor leaguer Blake Treinen and a player to be named later from the A's. Morse, 30, hit .291 with 18 homers for Washington in 2012 after hitting .303 with 31 homers in 2011. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2013 season. "We set out this winter to add offense to our club," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a statement released by the team. "With the addition of Mike Morse, along with the other veteran players we have added, we believe this will help us be a more complete offensive team. We wanted to add additional right-handed power and Mike is a major step in that direction. We are looking forward to having him join our club and compete with the other members on our roster in spring training." Jaso, 29, hit .276 with 10 home runs last season for Seattle. "We think he's a great offensive fit in our lineup," A's general manager Billy Beane said of Jaso, according to MLB.com. "He's got a unique combination of contact and on-base percentage. He was really starting to show some power last year, and I think he's a unique bat that can catch." Jaso figures to split time with Derek Norris, Beane said. Clearing room for Jaso on the 40-man roster, the A's designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment. Kottaras and the team agreed to a one-year contract earlier this week, avoiding arbitration. Cole, 21, went 0-7 with a 7.82 ERA at high Single-A Stockton in the Oakland organization last season, but he went 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA with low Single A Burlington the rest of the season. The A's acquired him from the Nationals last winter in the deal that sent left-hander Gio Gonzalez to Washington.